Car rental scam in Ahmedabad

Prince Mistry, son of the BJP’s Baxipanch Yuva Morcha chief Kanu Mistry, was nabbed from Ahmedabad’s Madhavpura area for defrauding approximately 40 people. Prince took possession of their cars by promising hefty monthly rents and later pawning them to other people.

Victims of the scam allege that they had reported the fraud to the police 13 days ago. However, political pressure prevented immediate action against Prince.

The police eventually registered the case on July 26, leading the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) to arrest on July 27.

Prince’s massive car rental scam

Details of the complaint suggest that Kajal Jadav, a resident of Asarwa, operated the mortuary van at the Civil Hospital. He also owned another car, which his coworker suggested in December 2023, he should rent out to Prince.

The coworker stated he would be paid a deposit of ₹50,000 deposit and a monthly rent of ₹33,000 for this deal. Interested, Jadav met Prince, who claimed to have secured a large contract of rental cars. He promised to pay before the 15th of each month.

Trusting Prince due to his father Kanu’s association with the BJP, Jadav and others rented out their cars. For the first couple of months, rent payments were made regularly.

However, Prince stopped paying most owners, citing delays in bill payments as the reason for the pending dues.

When Prince stopped answering calls, the car owners visited his home on July 13, but he was not found. His father, Kanu, denied any connection with Prince. Further investigation revealed that Prince had lied about the contract and had pawned the rented cars to various people.

Prince managed to rent over 400 cars across Ahmedabad and other districts, pawning them for amounts ranging from ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh based on their value. A list detailing the 44 cars he had rented and pawned was found.

From Asarwa alone, Prince rented 54 cars, of which 14 were recovered using GPS tracking. Upon scrutiny, these cars were found with liquor cartons, bags, and bloodstains, suggesting their use for transporting alcohol and animals. An investigation into this matter has been urged.

Why were authorities reluctant to take action?

Victims claimed that they went to report the fraud to the police, but political pressure made the officials hesitant to file a complaint.

Even when the complaint was registered, some details were reportedly omitted by the police. The issue became political, prompting authorities in Gandhinagar to instruct the registration of the case on July 26.

Jadav stated that Prince claimed to be working with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and mentioned the BJP’s requirement for several cars to be deployed in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Allegedly, this detail was also omitted from the complaint.

Congress MLA Jignesh Mevani said, “Prince Mistry has defrauded numerous people under the pretence of securing a contract from the BJP for Lok Sabha election work. Prince is active in the VHP and Bajrang Dal, and his father is a prominent BJP leader. It’s unlikely Prince could have executed such a large scam without political backing, potentially involving his father. The police should investigate Kanu Mistry and other political figures involved in this case.”

गुजरात भाजपा का एक नया भ्रष्टाचार सामने आया है।

2024 के लोकसभा चुनाव में प्रिंस मिस्त्री नामक भाजपा के पदाधिकारी ने अहमदाबाद से 400 जितनी फोर-व्हीलर गाड़ी पार्टी के चुनाव प्रचार के लिए किराये पर ली।

बदले में इन गाड़ी मालिकों को 35,000 से 50,000 रुपया किराया प्रति गाड़ी देना…

— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) July 28, 2024